I have a friend who has a Savage. The fuel cock has three settings on it, Res, PRI & On.
The bike only runs when it is in PRI or Res. When it is in the On position it will cut off within a minute or so. Which makes me beleive that On is actually the "OFF" position. And PRI means Primary fuel supply. Would this be correct?

The petcock may be on backwards or something. I knew a guy that bought a 250 Ninja cheap because it would only run for a few minutes before cutting out and dieing. He found that the petcock was on wrong. Once he fixed that, the bike ran great.

I have a friend with an old Virago. PRI will allow the fuel to run freely (as in prime) and on requires the engine to be actively drawing fuel (vacuum activated). Fuel won't flow in the on position if the engine isn't running, even if you disconnect the fuel line from the tank. There is no off Maybe the Savage has a vacuum leak.

The disadvantage is that if you park it and the float valve sticks all of your gas will run out off your carb overflow and onto your hot engine. My 350F has done that. That why it's good to shut a manual petcock off between rides. Check all of the vacuum lines and pay particular attention to the ends (both) where they connect to any hose barbs or fittings. If there's cracking and you have some slack cut the damage end off and re-attach. If all fails, take the fuel line loose at the carb (with the engine cold) and experiment with the petcock settings. If fuel does not flow with it on the "on" setting you may be able to use it as an "off" and put it on "pri" when you ride. Alternatively you can remove the petcock, take it apart and see if there's anything gumming up the little ports.

I have a friend who has a Savage. The fuel cock has three settings on it, Res, PRI & On.
The bike only runs when it is in PRI or Res. When it is in the On position it will cut off within a minute or so. Which makes me beleive that On is actually the "OFF" position. And PRI means Primary fuel supply. Would this be correct?

I have a Savage. On is the main fuel position. RES is your reserve, if you run out. PRI is NOT primary, but Prime. It is used if you have drained the engine to store for the winter or to work on it. It allows gas into the carb, so it is not dry.

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